Ethiopia

Paragraph 1, page 78

The growing reliance on unimproved sanitation  is largely driven by the limited availability of affordable, improved options, particularly in rural areas where sanitation products and services are scarce and fecal sludge management systems are either absent or inaccessible. Addressing these challenges requires urgent and coordinated action focused not only on infrastructure development but also on promoting sustainable behavioral change. To speed progress, the Government is championing TSEDU-Ethiopia—a flagship, volunteer-powered “cleanliness and dignity” movement. TSEDU mobilizes communities for regular clean-up drives, nurtures women-led sanitation micro-businesses, and promotes inclusive hygiene norms in schools, marketplaces, and public spaces. By scaling affordable hygiene options and solid-waste solutions nationwide, the initiative seeks to ensure that every woman, man, girl, and boy can access—and confidently use—dignified, safely managed sanitation services (Case Box 10).                                                            
 

Paragraph 1, page 123

 Despite these efforts, women’s participation in peace initiatives remains limited. Only 0.9 percent of women reported involvement as leaders or organizers in peacebuilding, while 15.5 percent participated as volunteers or general members.                                          

Paragraph 2, page 129

In context of fragmented and unpredictable development financing, volunteerism has played a vital role in advancing peace and sustainable development, particularly in areas such as education, public infrastructure, health, youth and women empowerment, and human rights. The Government has worked to institutionalize volunteerism through enabling policies and programs, including the Ethiopian National Volunteer Community Service Program (ENVCSP), the National Youth Policy, and sector-specific guidelines from  MoWSA and the Ministry of Health. National data  collected by ESS in 2020 and 2022 highlights growing engagement across diverse sectors, with tens of thousands participating in voluntary work, particularly in agriculture, industry, education, and health. In collaboration with key partners, it has strengthened volunteerism across the country, Ethiopian Red Cross Society (ERCS) alone registering over 258,000 volunteers, including 47,000  actively engaged. Regional governments like Oromia and Addis Ababa city administrations have also advanced localized initiatives targeting youth and women. Despite this momentum, challenges 
persist, including the absence of a national volunteer policy, limited coordination among stakeholders, and insufficient data and recognition. Addressing these gaps will be critical to fully leveraging volunteerism as a means of SDG implementation.